Detachably-mounted disc blade for food slicing machines



June 1956 x. B. K. GREEN ETAL 2,748,820

DETACHABLY-MOUNTED DISC BLADE FOR FOOD S LICING MACHINES Filed June 18, 1955 A4 6955M F6) 3 55115, J6,

INVENTORS,

WI Y

United States Patent DETACHABLY-MOUNTED DISC BLADE FOR FOOD SLICING MACHINES Xan B. K. Green, New Paltz, and Harry Preble, Jr., Cross River, N. Y., assignors to General Slicing Machine Co., Inc., Walden, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 18, 1953, Serial No. 362,564

7 Claims. (Cl. 146-102) The present invention relates to food slicing machines of the type employing a rotatable disc blade.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved slicing machine for the character mentioned, whose blade is easily removed for cleaning and just as easily remounted for use again, without ever disturbing the alignment of said blade and its bearing.

A further object hereof is to provide novel and improved construction in a slicing machine of the type described, in which the blade is easily removed with its hearing as a unitary structure therewith to serve as a handle therefor, to facilitate the cleaning of the blade, eliminating the need to hold the blade at its sharpened edge while it is being cleaned.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel structure to take care of any thrust the blade might be subjected to during the cutting operation.

A further object hereof is to provide a novel and improved removable bearing structure carrying the rotary disc blade of said type of slicing machines, which is reasonably cheap to manufacture, easy to assemble and disassemble, and eflicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a food slicing machine embodying the teachings of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken at lines 22 in Fig. 1. This is centrally through the bearing.

Fig. 3 is a similar view shown exploded.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modified construction of the bearing means.

In the drawings, the numeral 15 designates generally a food slicing machine of the type having a rotary disc blade 16 as its cutting mtmber. In the machine illustrated, its frame includes a housing member 17 which provides the amount for said disc blade and shields practically all of one face thereof except that peripherial portion of the blade which is called upon at any instance to do the actual cutting. The other face of the blade is here shown unshielded as is usual in many types of machines in this class.

The face of the blade which is shielded by the housing member 17, has mounted thereon a gear 18 having a stud shaft 19, all secured to rotate together. This stud shaft is journalled as will be explained in a bearing structure which it carries thereon. Such bearing structure in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, includes an outer casing 20 of a tubular form which sets as a removable bushing through a clear through bore 21 in a thickened part of the upright wall of the casing 17. Such thickened part may be a boss 22, an integral part of the casing. The face 22' of the boss 22 is finished to true vertical plane and acts as a stop for the flange 20 on the end portion of the bushing 20 nearest the gear 18. Said gear and 2,748,820 Patented June 5, 1956 bushing are slightly spaced from each other to avoid friction therebetween because said bushing is stationary in the machine set-up, while gear 18 is made to revolve by the drive gear 23 which is driven by handle 24 in the machine shown. Said bushing 20 extends outwardly of the housing member 17, where it presents its exteriorly threaded portion 20 for receiving a threaded cap which locks the said bushing onto the housing member 17, and thus mounts the blade 16 on the machine. When so mounted, the gears 18 and 23 are in mesh.

The interior of the bushing 20 is a cylindrical hollow. The end thereof which is exteriorly threaded is also exteriorly threaded at 20. The other end which has the external flange 20', also has an internal flange 20"". The stud shaft 19, has intermediate its ends the annular groove 19' between a pair of thrust bearing units 25, 26 carried on said shaft inside said bushing. A split spring washer 27 is engaged in said groove and extends therefrom between the thrust bearing units and holds the bearing unit 25 against the internal flange 20"". The bearing structure indicated generally by the numeral 30, is held in assembly by the exteriorly threaded ring 31 engaged in threads 20" of the bushing 20. The spring washer 27 and said ring 31 have the bearing unit 26 in contact between them. Said spring washer 27 maintains the assembly of the blade 16 carrying gear 18 and stud shaft 19, with the bearing structure 36. The bearings actually supporting the shaft 19 for rotation, are the inner flange 20 of the bushing 20, and the ring 31; surfaces in contact with said shaft may be bearing-metal lined as indicated at 23 and 29, respectively.

It is evident that the bearing units 25, 2-6 will take up any thrust of the shaft 19, and that said shaft is properly mounted for rotation in the bearings afforded by members 20 and 31. Mere removal of the cap 125 releases the blade and its bearing 31 as a unitary structure; the bushing 29 serving as a handle to facilitate cleaning of said blade. Resetting said structure on the machine needs only the mounting of the cap to tightly secure the bushing 20 on the housing member 17. There is permanent alignment of the bearing and blade, for they have not been disassembled.

in the modified embodiment shown in Fig. 4, thrust bearings are omitted. The numerals 32, 33 indicate pinned collars on the stud shaft 119 to journal the latter in the bushing 12%. The screw cap is denoted by the numeral 125 and the exterioriy threaded ring is 126. The bearings supporting the said shaft 119 are shown as members 128 and 129 which are pinned by 32 and 33 respectively. Element 128, if desired may be an integral internal flange of bushing 129. Clearance holes 34, 35 and 36 are provided to permit the assembly.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments shown herein shall be deemed illustrative and not restrictive; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. In a food slicing machine, a frame having a bore therethrough, a bushing having an outward flange at one end, positioned through said bore whereby said flange is in contact with one surface of the frame, means accessibly positioned at the other surface of the frame, releasably holding the bushing in said position within the bore, a shaft member lying longitudinally in the bushing, held against longitudinal movement therein and journalled in said bushing for axial rotation in relation to said bushing; said shaft extending from the flanged end of the bushing, means on the shaft and bushing holding said shaft and bushing in assembly, a disc cutting blade and a means whereby said shaft member can be driven, both securely carried on the said extending portion of the shaft member; the last mentioned means being intermediate the flange and said blade; said bushing, shaft, blade and blade driving means constituting a unitary structure whereupon when said bushing is released from said holding means, said bushing being capable of being manually slid out of said bore and thereby remove said unitary structure from the frame.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the other end of the bushing is threaded and wherein the holding means comprises a nut means on said threaded end threadedly engaged therewith.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the other end of the bushing is threaded and wherein the holding means comprises a cap threadedly engaged on said end.

4. The structure as defined in claim 1, wherein at least part of the shaft member is spaced from the interior wall of the bushing and including thrust bearing means carried on said shaft members within the bushing in said space.

5. The structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the other end of the bushing is threaded both interiorly and exteriorly and wherein the mentioned holding means comprises a nut means threadedly engaged on the exterior threads and including an exteriorly threaded ring threadedly engaged in the interior threads of said bushing; said ring serving as a bearing for the shaft member; said shaft extending into said ring.

6. The structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the other end of the bushing is threaded both interiorly and exteriorly and wherein the mentioned holding means comprise a nut means threadedly engaged on the exterior threads of the bushing, a ring bearing member within the bushing near such other end and an exteriorly threaded ring threadedly engaged in the interior threads of the bushing; said bearing member moving along with said threaded ring upon movement of the latter into the bushing; said bearing ring serving as a bearing for the shaft member; said shaft extending into such bearing ring.

7. In a food slicing machine, a frame member having a bore therethrough, a bushing positioned through said bore, accessible means releasably holding said bushing member in said position within the bore, carried on at least one of said members at one surface of the frame member, a shaft member lying longitudinally in the bushing; said shaft being journaled in said bushing for axial rotation in relation to said bushing; said shaft extending from said bushing at the other surface of the frame member, means on the shaft and bushing holding said shaft and bushing in assembly, a disc cutting blade and a means whereby said shaft member can be driven, both securely carried on said extending portion of said shaft member; the last mentioned means being intermediate the bushing and said blade; said bushing, shaft, blade and blade driving means constituting a unitary structure whereupon when said bushing is released from said holding means, said bushing being capable of being manually slid out of said bore and thereby remove said unitary structure from the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,949,490 Ross Mar. 6, 1934 

